Claes wm



(No Model.)

G. W. BOMAN.

LEAD 0R GRAYON HOLDER.

No. 394,054. Patented Dec. 4, 1888.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLAES wn. BOMAN, OF NEw YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE EAGLE PENCILCOMPANY, OF SAME PLAcE.

LEAD OR CRAYON HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,054, dated December4, 1888.

Application filed July 2'7, 1888.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CLAES 'M. BOMAN, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented a certain new and useful Improve- 5 ment in Leadand Crayon Holders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to that kind of holder in which the lead orlead-carrier is loose within the sheath and free to move by IO gravitywithin limits which will permit the lead to be protruded from orwithdrawn within the sheath. \Vhen the sheath or handle is held pointdownward, the lead will thereby be automatically project ed the requireddistance I 5 for writing purposes, and will be held in that position solong as the point of the pencil is lower than the other end, and when,on the other hand, the sheath is held point upward the lead thereby willbe automatically released and allowed to drop back within the handle.This result is due to the combination, with the carrier, of a selflocking and releasing or, as itmay be termed, a gravity locking andreleasing mechanism. A holder possessing these general characteristicsis not new with me, broadly considered, and I My imi amino. 281,160. (Nomodeld ment or mechanism. It can best be explained and understood byreference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is alongitudinal axial section of the pencil with the lead projected. Fig. 2is a side elevation of the case and the self locking and releasingmechanism contained in the same. Fig. 3 is a plan of the parts (from theside opposite the teeth 71 in Fig. 2) in the position they occupy whenthe lead projected. Fig. 4 is a like view of the same parts in theposition they occupy when the lead is retracted. Fig. is a perspectiveview of the carrier. Fig. U is a like view of the main and auxiliaryfollowers.

The tubular sheath or handle consists of a screw-threaded sheet-metaltube, which may have a cover of celluloid, vulcanitc, or otherornamental material, A and is provided with the usual tip, A. \Vithinthe tube A is a tube, F, longitudinally slotted at f and secured in theouter tube, A, so that it may be free to rotate therein withoutlongitudinal movement. Upon the rear end of the tube F is mounted thecap G, which forms a finish for that end of the pencil. It is used torotate the tube F, being for that purpose secured to it by suitablemeans, preferably said mechanism and the carrier that they as 5 a wholemay be adjustable and movable lengthwise of the sheath or handle, sothat they may be advanced as the lead wears away, thus compensating forthe wear of the lead without necessitating the cutting away of thehandle at the point.

In other applications For Letters Patent, Serial No. 275,418, filed May29, 1888, and Serial .No. 275,330, filed May 28, 1854511 have describedsome forms of mechanism adapted to accomplish this result, consisting ofa sleeve mounted and longitiulinally movable on the sheath and connectedto the lead holding and releasing mechanism, so that it may by itsmovement effect the bodily adjustment: of the latter. I now propose toillustrate and describe still another form of such adjusting device.

The particular adjusting device which I shall here describe is what istechnically known as a propelling and repelling m ovesuch as will permitit to be detached and re moved, so as to open the rear end of tube B forthe withdrawal of the pencil-movement, to facilitate, for instance, thereplacing of one pencil-lezul by another. For this purpose it in thepresent instance is united to the tube F by a longitudinal rib, g whichfits 8 5 in the rear end of slot f. 'hen the cap is fitted in place, itsinner end is received in and covered by a sleeve, G, attached to therear of the sheath.

\Vithin the tube F is the case 'B, which contains the lead-carrier andits automatic controlling mechanism. Upon the exterior of this case is alongitudinal projecting rib containing a number of teeth, 72. There maybe one or more of these teeth. They project through the slot f in therotatable tube F and engage the screw-threads on the interior of thetube A. Thus by rotating the tube F the case B will be caused to advanceor recede in the sheath, according to the direction of rotation. In thisway the lead-carrier and its self locking and releasing mechanism can beadjusted bodily lengthwise of the sheath most accurately andconveniently, so as to compensate for the wearing away of the lead.

Various forms of self locking and releasing mechanisms may be employedin connection with the devices just described, and I am not limited inthis respect to any specific form. The particular form shown in thedrawings is substantially that which I have made the subject of anotherapplication for Letters Patent, Serial No. 275,418, filed May 20, 1888,and may be described as follows:

lVithin the case B are the lead-carrier C and the follower or detent D,by which the carrier in its forward position is held in engagement withthe stem 13 so long as the pencil is point downward. The carrier andfollower can slide freely and independently of each other in the case B,and each is guided in its movement by a pin or stud (lettered,respectively, a and 1),) which projects into a longitudinal slot, e,formed in the case, of such length as to permit the free lengthwisemovement of the follower and carrier within the limits requisite tosecure automatic protrusion and the withdrawal of the lead. At the frontof slot 0- is a lateral recess or notch, 0', leading off from one edgeof the slot. On the opposite edge of the slot, at the point where thefollower-pin brings up when the follower drops forward, is a slightnotch, 0 The contiguous ends of the follower and carrier have inclinedor slanting surfaces, (lettered, respectively, d and 0,) so shaped thateach device follower and carrierwhen they meet will tend to impart aslight movement of rotation to the other. The pin or stud a on thecarrier and the recess or notch c are so located that when the carrierhas moved forward as far as permitted by the slot 0 the stud a will beopposite to the notch 0.

Under these conditions the mode of operation is as follows: hen thepencil is held point downward, both carrier and follower drop until thecarrier brings up against the front end of slot (7, at which time itsstud a will be opposite the recess or notch c. The impact of thefollower or detent upon the thus suddenly-stopped carrier will, owing tothe faces cl and 8, give a movement of partial rotation to the carrierand cause its stud to enter and engage the notch. At the same time thefollower itself will have a slight movement of rotation in the oppositedirection sufficient to bring its pin 1) into the small notch 0 Thus thecarrier will be locked in position so long as the pencil is pointdownward; but as soon as the pencil is reversed the follower will bygravity fall back away from the carrier, and the latter thus will befree to drop back in the sheath far enough to withdraw the point of thelead.

Under the arrangement described the case B, containing the automaticpencil-m ovement, can readily be withdrawn from the rear end of thesheath whenever it is desired to renew the lead.

In order to insure and enhance the efficient action of the follower, Iprefer to combine with it a second or auxiliary follower, D, which is atube somewhat thick, so as to be heavy, and mounted on an axial headedpin, 1), fixed to the rear end of the main follower,

'said pin being of greater length than the auxiliary follower, so thatthe latter may be capable of independent to-and-fro movement upon, it toan extent sufficient to permit said auxiliary follower by its momentumto start the main follower rearwardly when the pencil is turned pointupward, or by its impact to drive the main follower home against thecarrier (and thus to force the latter into locked position) when thepencil is turned point downward.

I do not herein claim, broadly, the combination, in an automatic holder,of the sheath or handle and a lead-carrier and self locking andreleasing mechanism therefor adjustable bodily and together lengthwiseof said-sheath, as the same is the subject in part of my priorapplication, Serial No. 275,418, filed May 29, 1888.

Having described my improvement, I repeat that I do not claim a pencilwherein the lead is automatically protruded and locked or released andwithdrawn, according as the pencil is held point downward or upward; nordo I claim, broadly, an automatic holder wherein the carrier for thispurpose is combined with a gravity follower or detentwhich automaticallylocks and releases the carrier,

according to the position in which the pencil.

is held; but

\Vhat I do claim herein as new and of my own invention is as follows:

1. The combination of the sheath, the lead carrier, and gravity orself-locking mechanism therefor adjustable bodily and togetherlengthwise of the sheath, and propelling and repelling mechanism foreffecting said adj ustment, substantially as and for the purposehereinbefore set forth.

2. The combination of the sheath having a screw-threaded interior, thelead-carrier and gravity or self locking and releasing mechanismtherefor, a longitudina1lyslotted tube rotatable within said sheath, acase containing said carrier and the locking and releasing mechanismtherefor longitudinally movable within said rotatable tube and providedwith teeth which project through the slot in the rotatable tube andengage the screw-threaded interior of the sheath, substantially as andfor the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

3. The internally-screw-threaded sheath, the longitudinally-slottedrotatable tube within said sheath having an open rear end, thelead-carrier and its automatic gravity locking and releasing mechanism,the sliding case containing said carrier and mechanism,

mounted in said rotatable slotted tube and provided with teeth to engagethe screw--threaded interior of the sheath, and the cap mounted on anddetaehably connected to the rear end of said rotatable tube,substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

4. The combination, with the sheath, the carrier, the main follower ordetent, and the case containing the same, of the auxiliary weightedfollower carried by and capable of free to-and-fro independent movementwi thin prescribed limits with relation to said main IO follower,substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 25th day of July,1888.

CLAES \VM. ROMAN. 'itnesses:

SAMUEL KRAUS, C. BRAISTED.

